Dodgers-Padres Game 4 Preview: Greinke Makes 1st Start Of The Season

[new_royalslider id=”4″] After a day’s rest since their Opening Night loss against the Padres, the Los Angeles Dodgers aspire to get their first win on American soil in game two of their three game series in San Diego. The team had quite the tumultuous eighth inning in Sunday’s loss, as Brian Wilson did not record an out and gave up three runs after Hyun-Jin Ryu put in a solid seven innings of scoreless work. The Dodgers are looking to put Opening Night behind them as they head into Tuesday’s game.

Zack Greinke takes the mound for the Dodgers in his first start of the regular season. Unable to make the start during the Australia series due to a calf strain, the right-hander says he’s now feeling 100% heading into today’s game. In his most recent start against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim last Thursday, Greinke had a solid tune-up giving up five hits and two earned runs in six innings. This will be an important outing for the 30-year-old, and the Dodgers could use the win especially having to go through the opening week rotation without Clayton Kershaw.

Interestingly enough, former Diamondback Ian Kennedy will face off against Greinke. For those who may need a refresher, these two faced off last season in a game where Kennedy nailed Yasiel Puig in the nose and then later hit Greinke in the back. By the end of the game, six ejections were made, and Kennedy was eventually suspended for 10 games to say the least. So the two starters meet again, but this time, Kennedy will be sporting a Padres jersey as he was shipped off to San Diego before the trade deadline last year. The two would later pitch against each other after the incident in a much less dramatic fashion, but the history between them is undeniable.

Because Kennedy saw four years with the Diamondbacks before going to San Diego, the Dodgers are fairly familiar with the 30-year-old right-hander. Against Kennedy, the heart of the order is a little varied. Hanley Ramirez is only 2 for 13, Adrian Gonzalez is 5 for 23 with a home run and Andre Ethier is batting a more impressive .357 against the Padres starter. In the first three games so far, Puig, Ramirez, Gonzalez and Ethier have been a little quiet behind the plate, and hopefully the squad can find the fire in this afternoon’s game.

Mattingly elected to go with the same lineup from last game, with Dee Gordon starting at second base against the right-handed Kennedy. The offense will look to improve upon the four hits and one run they had in the first game of the series.

Today’s game begins at 3:40 PM PT and will be broadcasted on SportsNet LA. For fans whose cable provider has not yet reached a deal with the Dodgers channel, the game will be broadcast on 570 Fox Sports LA radio.

Dodgers Lineup

LF: Crawford

RF: Puig

SS: Ramirez

1B: Gonzalez

CF: Ethier

3B: Uribe

C: Ellis

2B: Gordon

P: Greinke

Padres Lineup

SS: Cabrera

LF: Smith

3B: Headley

1B: Alonso

2B: Gyorko

CF: Venable

RF: Denorfia

C: Grandal

P: Kennedy

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